Wall board having compressible edge structure



Dec. 28, 1965 R, T, CURTIS 3,226,284

WALL BOARD HAVING COMPRESSIBLE EDGE STRUCTURE Filed Nov. l, 1961INVENTOR. ROLANDO T. CURTIS BY 0.26am W ATTORNEY United States Patent O3,226,284 WALL BOARD HAVING QUMIRESSiBLE EDGE STRUSTURE Rolando T.Curtis, Greenwich, Conn., assignor to V-W Corporation, Stamford, Conn.,a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 149,271 2Ciaims. (Cl. 161-44) This invention relates to a compressible wall boardproduct and a method of fabricating the same. More particularly, theinvention is directed to a product constituted of a rigid or semi-rigidmaterial in which one or both faces and edges thereof are covered with aflexible sheet material of veneer, vinyl, paper or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a constructionmaterial, such as, wall board, which may be applied to new constructionor existing walls in which the wall boards may be installed preferablyby means of a mastic-type adhesive.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide wall boardswhich may be installed in abutting, contiguous relationship without thenecessity for using jointing material or tape to correct imperfectionsin the llt. The present wall board, when installed, gives the appearanceof planked walls or a patterned surface, and achieves a desirabledecorative effect.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wall boardwith internal core material which has a high K factor, therebyperforming the function of an insulator and wind barrier.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of wallboard construction in which outside and inside corners may be madewithout the need for molding.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible sheetmaterial facing for the wall board which is washable and readilycleaned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method ofmanufacturing the wall board which is fabricated simply andinexpensively.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method andproduct which is reliably effective for the purposes intended.

The above and other features, objects and advantages of the presentinvention will be fully understood from the following descriptionconsidered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a series of compressiblewall boards constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention and installed in abutting relationship on a Wall.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the wall board.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear view of a wall board showing the appliedadhesive and,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall board bent to taround an outside corner of a room.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a wall board referred togenerally by the numeral is constituted of an insulating, compressiblecore material 12, such as a polystyrene, with a cardboard or heavy paperpanel 14 covering one or both sides of the core material 12. The frontface of the cardboard 14 is further covered by a flexible sheet material16 such as a veneer, vinyl resin, paper, etc. The flexible sheetmaterial 16 extends around the edges of the core material 12 formingtubular-shaped hollow pockets 22 at each edge of the Wall board 10. Theflexible sheet material may cover part or all of the rear side of thewall board 1t).

FIG. 3 illustrates the rear side of the wall board 1t) in which smallmounds of mastic adhesive 18 are placed at random in spaced relationshipon the wall board. It

should be noted that it is not necessary to cover the entire rearsurface of the wall board with adhesive if one wishes to cement the wallboard to a wall but that relatively small amounts of adhesive spatiallylocated will suillce. Subsequently, when the wall board is pressedagainst the wall the adhesive mounds 18 flatten out and are selflevelling thereby enabling the Wall board to be installed flush with anexisting Wall. Alternatively, the wall board may be nailed or screwed toa wall or studs.

It is also important to note that the wall board has precise, hollow,round, and resilient edges thus enabling the contiguous, resilient edgesof abutting wall boards to be firmly engaged with a slight amount ofpressure and eliminating interstices between the wall boards, thus doingaway with the need for jointing, interlocking or taping the spacespresent between the wall boards. Resilient hollow edges accommodateexpansion and contraction of planks or surfaces to which they areadhered.

FIGURE 4 discloses a wall board arrangement for an outside corner of aroom. The rear panel of cardboard 14 is grooved at 2li to permit thewall board 10 to be bent longitudinally into two sections atapproximately to each other. Adhesive may be applied to the rear of thiscorner wall board and the latter may be pressed on an outside corner ofa room without the need for a covering molding strip. It is also withinthe scope of the present invention to groove or slit the wall board insuch a manner that an inside corner of a room may be covered by a bentwall board.

The process of manufacturing wall boards constructed in accordance withthe above description is as follows: An insulating flat core material,having a high K factor and being compressible, is covered with cardboardor heavy paper panels on both sides thereof. A thin flexible sheetmaterial such as vinyl covered hardwood veneer is coated with a contacttype adhesive and placed on the core material. The assembly is thenpassed through bonding rollers and compressing rollers. Thereafter, thefree edges of the flexible sheet material ar recoated with the contacttype adhesive. A folding machine then rolls the free edges of theflexible sheet material about the side edges of the core material togive precise side edges to the product. Finally, the sheet material iscontacted with adhesive again on the back of the wall board.

It should be apparent that the present compressible wall board permitsthe installation of the same by unskilled persons since no cutting,shaping or fitting is required. Therefore, covering of a wall with thepresent wall board may be accomplished rapidly and with the aid of fewtools. The resultant wall has the pleasing appearance of a continuouscovering and may have the design effect or a wood paneling effect.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodiedotherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and thatin the illustrated embodiment certain changes in the details ofconstruction and in the arrangement of parts may be made Withoutdeparting from the underlying idea or principle of the invention withinthe scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wall board comprising a substantially flat core which has elongatedsubstantially straight edges and includes core material which is atleast semi-rigid, flexible sheet facing material covering at least oneof the sides of said core and extending laterally beyond said edges andaround said edges to the other side of said core and enclosing saidedges and leaving suflicient free space between the edges of said coreand the flexible sheet material extending therearound to promotecompressibility of said ilexible sheet material enclosing said edges indirections transverse to the directions of elongation of said edges, andadhesive means securing said exible sheet material with said one of saidsides and securing to the other of said sides the portions of saidflexible sheet material which extend around said core edges to saidother side of said core.

2. A Wall board comprising a substantially at insulating core which haselongated substantially straight edges and includes a compressible corematerial having a heavy paper cover on both Sides of said core material,a lexible facing including thin vinyl resin sheet material covering atleast one of the heavy paper covers on one side of said core andextending laterally beyond said edges of said core and around said edgesto the other side of said core and enclosing said edges and leavingsufcient space between the edges of said core and the sheet materialextending therearound to promote compressibility of said flexible facingenclosing said edges in directions transverse to the directions ofelongation of said edges, and adhesive means securing said exible facingwith said one of said paper covers and securing to the other of saidpaper covers the i portions of said facing which extend around said coreedges to said other side of said core.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,028,253 1/1936Spaflord 154-44 2,154,143 4/1939 Whelan 156-216 2,283,137 5/1942 Fine156-202 2,312,987 3/1943 Grassick 156-216 2,392,972 1/ 1946 Cheyney.2,705,522 4/ 1955 Kamborian 156-216 2,770,406 11/ 1956 Lane. 2,820,7211/1958 Hitchcock et al. 117-76 3,003,810 10/1961 Kloote et al. 154-44FOREIGN PATENTS 732,985 3/ 1943 Germany. 825,886 7/ 1949 Germany.1,039,355 9/ 1958 Germany.

EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner.

ALEXANDER WYMAN, Examiner.

1. A WALL BOARD COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CORE WHICH HAS ELONGATEDSUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT EDGES AND INCLUDES CORE MATERIAL WHICH IS ATLEAST SEMI-RIGID, FLEXIBLE SHEET FACING MATERIAL COVERING AT LEAST ONEOF THE SIDES OF SAID CORE AND EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND SAID EDGES ANDAROUND SAID EDGES TO THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID CORE AND ENCLOSING SAIDEDGES AND LEAVING SUFFICIENT FREE SPACE BETWEEN THE EDGES OF SAID COREAND THE FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL EXTENDING THEREAROUND TO PROMOTECOMPRESSIBILITY OF SAID FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL ENCLOSING SAID EDGES INDIRECTIONS TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTIONS OF ELONGATION OF SAID EDGES, ANDADHESIVE MEANS SECURING SAID FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL WITH SAID ONE OFSAID SIDES AND SECURING TO THE OTHER OF SAID SIDES THE PORTIONS OF SAIDFLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL WHICH EXTEND AROUND SAID CORE EDGES TO SAIDOTHER SIDE OF SAID CORE.